Bird locks up final pace spot

Bird locks up final pace spot

JACKSON Bird appears to have beaten off the challengers for a place in Australia's first Test squad as the fast bowling brigade were placed on ice for Brisbane.

Bird, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood will be rested from next week's Sheffield Shield round and sent to Brisbane where they will train as a unit at the National Cricket Centre before the November 23 Ashes opener.

Starc and Cummins were always likely to be spared from the NSW-Queensland match at Allan Border Field but Hazlewood has joined them after bowling splendidly against Western Australia over the weekend.